The present invention relates to receptacles for mail, papers, periodicals and the like and in particular to a rural mailbox with an integral therewith. Mailboxes for use in rural free delivery zones typically include means for supporting the mailbox on a post or other type of standard at a location adjacent a road. The post or other standard act as a means for locating the rural mailbox at the appropriate height for the mail carrier. These posts are buried into the ground in order to provide sufficient stability to the rural mailbox. The post or other support means typically must be replaced several times before the mailbox itself is replaced for reasons of nonserviceability. The support post may be broken off by errant vehicles, snow plows, roadside mowing equipment, or vandals. If the support post remains unbroken for any length of time and it is made of either wood or metal it will rot or corrode below ground level. Even if the post is not broken off, rotted or corroded they commonly become bent or deformed during use which causes the mailbox to be in an improper orientation with the roadway dust rendering the delivery of mail most difficult for the rural letter carrier.
The common rural mailbox formed of several pieces of sheet metal fastened together are inherently prone to rust. One especially vulnerable area is the bottom surface of the box where it is attached to the support post. Water accumulates in the bottom surface where the post attachment is, due to leakage of rain and condensation in the box. This interface between the post and mailbox corrodes most readily since the fasteners have breached any corrosion resistant coating which was applied to the outer surfaces of the sheet metal forming the box. Once the fastener poles become corroded it becomes necessary to replace the mailbox. One further disadvantage of the sheet metal rural mailbox is that it has several sharp edges which can cause injury to both users and innocent passers-by.